Out Of Rain
by Running For Anothers Dream
Summary: She was standing in the middle of the thunder and lightning, and for the first time it didn't comfort her. Makoto was afraid and she was in pain, and the world was spinning around her. She doesn't think that she can win, not this time, but she refuses to quit trying. The daimon is looking at her, laughing at her - but Makoto will not give in.


A/N: This was written for a challenge, over on my forum. The link is in my profile and you guys should come check it out! c:

Hope you all like it!

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_I saw you standing in the middle of the thunder and lightning  
I know you're feeling like you just can't win, but you're trying  
It's hard to keep on keepin' on, when you're being pushed around  
Don't even know which way is up, you just keep spinning down, 'round, down…_

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Thunder cracked through the sky, drowning out almost everything else. Even the pale girl's labored breathing seemed to be swallowed up by the sound, repetitive and harsh against her ears.

It didn't bring comfort, as it normally did. Just frightened Makoto, because it meant that she was still alone and out numbered and injured and scared. A harsh cough wrenched its way out of her throat, and she bowed her head. Slender fingers curled into the damp mud, which gave beneath them with no resistance.

A break in the thunder, and she could hear it. Their laughter, loud and high-pitched. It was twisted by the howls of the wind and the pounding rain, but still there. Echoing around her until, once again, the boom of thunder devoured all other sound.

"I still hear you!" screamed Makoto, and she was trying so hard to come off as brave and strong. To not show any weakness, even though there was little more that she could do.

Out of the corner of one eye, there was a jagged flash of light. It gave Makoto a glimpse of dark scales and yellow eyes, lunging at her. She was barely able to roll out of the way in time, the daimon making contact with the wet earth instead. It shook itself off, rising up onto the coils of its snake-like body. The ground beneath it was charred - and Makoto narrowed her eyes because that could have been her.

Had been her, earlier. Makoto could still feel the sting of pain lacing up her left arm. Still couldn't feel her fingers, which had gone almost completely numb.

"Hear me?" taunted the daimon, tilting its head to the side. Unwashed hair fell in its face, and it gave that horrible cackle again. A moment later and two more voices joined it, as the conjoined sisters pulled back together.

The one with the blonde hair and the wide eyes, it sneered at Makoto. "You hear me, but can you see me?"

"Can you catch me?" asked the third sister, tauntingly.

"Damn right I can!" snapped Makoto, trying to draw herself up to her full, imposing height. Her auburn hair had come loose from its band and now fell in her face, stuck there with blood and sweat and grime. "Try your best, snake-creep. I'll run you into the ground!"

And though it was meant to be a threat, the words lacked any real strength. Makoto was tired and she was sore and she was scared, because everyone else had already fallen.

For the first time in many battles, Makoto was on her own.

For the first time that she could remember, her powers were useless.

Perhaps useless wasn't the best word, but uneffective. Fire may fight fire, but lightning couldn't fight lightning. It just didn't work, and her attacks seemed to do no damage to the beast before her. To the cackling, laughing, terrifying creature.

The first one, with the unwashed black hair, it tilted its head. Watched her for a moment. And then it lunged, mouth parted so that its fangs were revealed and lightning crackled in the air.

Without thinking, Makoto stumbled backwards. Her left leg didn't want to work right, and it was just as numb as her fingers. In the flash of white that came with the attack, the crimson that dappled her leg was clear. The torn skin and blackened flesh, it could be seen even through the heavy rainfall.

The daimon hit the ground and rose right back up. The blonde sister lunged, just as the first one had done. Again, Makoto scrambled backwards with all the grace of an injuried alley cat.

The third sister lunged, and Makoto was expecting the pattern. Thought she knew the pattern. But, at the last momen, it swerved to the right. Straight towards the prone body with the dark blue hair and the pale skin, laying in the mud as though there was no life left in her.

But Makoto knew otherwise.

Ami, she was not weak. There was a slight rise and fall to her chest that proved it. A barely there breath that Makoto did not want to see extinguished, would not see extinguished, could not let be extinguished.

And so, much like the daimon that had given her so much trouble, Makoto lunged. Her body curled over top of Ami's, cold skin against hot, and pain coursed through out her very being. Then, before anything else could be registered, all that Makoto knew was the pain of electricity shooting through her.

Then it was dark.

The storm carried on. The daimon vanished into the night, out to terrorize someone else, to wreak havok elsewhere.

In another story, one that takes place far away from here, in the remnants of a battle that was not won, the senshi would rise back up and they would push on as a team.

In this world though? The senshi would come back, yes, but it would not be the same. For now, they are trying to push through the darkness to find the light, in a battle that should have been aided by thunder and lightning and pure raw determination...but was not.

For, as every storm will eventually run out of rain, one Makoto Kino ran out of strength.


End file.
